A rare copy of the Declaration of Independence went on display this weekend at the Friendship Fire Co., part of a political fundraiser

Keith Fernsler had never seen a copy of the Declaration of Independence before.

"I'm big into historical events and documents," the Cleona man said after seeing what is called an "Anastatic Facsimile" of one of the nation's most important documents.

In fact, he said, he had only seen documents like the Declaration in textbooks when he was in school.

"Seeing something close to what was the real thing is pretty phenomenal," he said.

The copy of the Declaration of Independence was on display Saturday at the Friendship Fire Co. banquet hall as part of a fundraiser for Russ Diamond's Republican primary campaign for the 102nd Pennsylvania House District seat currently held by Rep. RoseMarie Swanger. She decided not to run for re-election after eight years in office.

Patrick Judd of South Annville Township watches as his 8-year-old daughter, Alexandria, uses her cellphone to shoot a picture of a rare copy of the Declaration of Independence on display at the Friendship Fire Co. on Saturday night. Tom Lingenfelter, the copy's owner, calls it the truest copy of the handwritten 1776 Declaration of Independence. (Barbara West — Lebanon Daily News)

Tom Lingenfelter, president of Heritage Collectors' Society Inc. of Doylestown, Bucks County, bought the facsimile at a flea market years ago. The document is considered the truest copy of the handwritten 1776 Declaration of Independence.

"It's more important than the original because you can read this one," Lingenfelter said.

When he bought it for $100, Lingenfelter said, he thought it was a copy of the Declaration that someone had made for the Centennial in 1876. He had it for 10 or 15 years before he discovered it was actually a copy of the original Declaration.

"The Anastatic Declaration is a facsimile from a plate produced by a chemical transfer process that nearly destroyed the original engrossed Declaration," Lingenfelter states on heritagecs.com, a website dedicated to the document.

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Clearer than the original document on display at The National Archives, the copy that he bought is readable by the naked eye and is rarely seen in public, according to Lingenfelter. The only other known copy is housed in archival storage at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia.

Cathryn Diamond, a niece of Russ Diamond, said she came to the exhibit to help her write a report for a history class for extra credit, even though history is not her favorite subjects. The 12-year-old is a seventh-grader at Northern Lebanon Middle School.

Keith Fernsler of Cleona examines a rare copy of the Declaration of Independence at the Friendship Fire Co. banquet hall on Saturday night. To see Tout video from the scene, visit LDNews.com. (Barbara West — Lebanon Daily News)

Her mother, Melissa Diamond of Annville, said she and her daughter may never get another opportunity to view such a document.

"It's humbling almost," she said. "It's neat to be able to see the signatures (of the signers of the document)."

Diamond and Lingenfelter have known each other for years. Diamond said Lingenfelter contacted him after Diamond created PA CleanSweep, a grass-roots, political reform organization, following the controversial legislative pay raise in 2005.

They realized they saw eye to eye on a number of political issues.

"We became fast friends after that," Diamond said.

Diamond, an across-the-road truck driver, recently stopped in Doylestown to have lunch with Lingenfelter. Diamond said the two of them had talked often about putting the document on tour.

A close-up of the rare copy of the Declaration of Independence on display Saturday night. (Barbara West — Lebanon Daily News)

He said Lingenfelter came up with the idea to display it at one of Diamond's campaign events.

Tom Lingenfelter points out some of the better-known signatures at the bottom of the copy of Declaration of Independence at the Friendship Fire Co. on Saturday night. Lingenfelter is the owner of the rare document. (Barbara West — Lebanon Daily News)

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